Toby Stephens has insisted being the son of Dame Maggie Smith and Sir Robert Stephens didn't help him get ahead in the acting industry.

The former Bond villain, who is currently promoting his latest film The Machine, admitted how his family were tough on him.

"They knew it was a really risky profession to get into and there's no guarantee that you're going to make a living out of it, or that just because your parents are very successful that you will be. I could have been a total dud."

The 44-year-old also revealed that he had mixed feelings about working with his wife Anna-Louise Plowman last year in the play Private Lives.

"We both had mixed feelings about doing it, because it's always a bit of a risk. It's never guaranteed that it's going to be an easy experience, but it was really lovely to spend some time together.

"We're not going to become The Lunts. I don't think we're going to make a habit of working together, it just worked out really well for that occasion."

The Machine is released in cinemas and on VoD on March 21 and on DVD/Blu-ray on March 31.